1 Timothy 2:11-15
Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.
My pastor had used this passage to present a point during our Sunday School class this morning, and I personally felt very encouraged and agreeable to the viewpoint he suggested. (remember, I am a woman, and I know lots of women read this and immediately shut off because they take drastic offense to those first two verses. I think we forget the rest of this passage, which holds more weight in my opinion)
My pastor was using this as an example of a way that we read and study the Bible. This week, he presented on Custom vs Principle.
In a nutshell, from what I understood (and please, fellow Grace Baptist peers correct me if I am wrong), Custom was directed more toward culture and a certain point in time that we don't have to take as direct instruction for our lives today. Principle is set at us directly and something that we should continue to follow in our lives today.
In this passage, we had suggested that this is a principle, not a custom. Why? Well, let's look at the reasoning for the first two verses by looking at the next ones:
For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
The reason falls on two orders that were established at the very beginning. First, there was the Creation order (man first, then woman). God had established this order from the start, and it is something that Paul is referring to as a reason for why we should follow the instruction in the first couple verses.
Second, there is what my pastor referred to as "Satan's
order" (woman first, then man). Satan took God's order, reversed it,
and used that to cause the Fall. Eve took the reigns and instructed Adam
what to do (Eve's fall). Adam became silent and went along with it
(Adam's fall).
I am NOT saying that woman is weaker than man. Neither is Paul, and neither is God. If God made an order that female was first and then male, we'd be instructed to obey it. God made everything AND IT WAS GOOD. It was perfect. Male first, to be the head, and female next in her individual glory and splendor which is different than male.
As a woman, I look at it in this aspect. Submission is not a demand, it is a choice. It is a principle that women are instructed to follow, but it should never be intended to be forced upon us.
If my husband, Harold, demanded I submit, I would probably retaliate or be full of bitterness toward him that the submission loses its glow. My pastor says this passage is directed toward men just as much (if not more) than women. It's easier for us women to submit if men are gentle and understanding to us. It's easier for men to be gentle and understanding if we submit.
Ladies, submission is beautiful. It's not meant to be demeaning, but we automatically translate it as such. When we submit to the authority of our men around us, we portray something much greater than if we wanted to prove female dominance. We portray the Trinity. We are equal, but different. Men are given different roles. Not because women can't do it, but because men are created to be better at it. Women are given different roles. Not because men can't do it, but because women are created to be better at it.
Harold and I are equal in marriage, but we are not the same. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that male and female are different beings. But these differences do not make a hierarchy. It makes a team of individuals that are set towards the same goal, working in the same direction, just taking on different tasks and roles to reach that goal more efficiently.
Let me ask you, would you ask a professional pianist to go out and repair your diesel truck? Unless it was their hobby that they put time in, of course you wouldn't! It isn't demeaning to the pianist to acknowledge that they aren't as capable in repairing the truck as they are playing Bach. This does not make the pianist any less of a person. Therefore, we as women should not read this and be offended as being thought of as less significant or demeaned as well.
There is one thing, ladies that we can do that men can't. Carry new life. Something Harold will never feel to the extent that I do is this little baby rolling and kicking around and reacting to what I do in the most intimate level possible. I cannot make life without Harold, but I get to carry and deeply experience this blessing (others would argue this to be a curse). Yes it is hard, tiring, and full of many sacrifices. There are moments when it is just plain miserable because you can't get cozy like you used to. BUT it is so worth it. My husband will never feel this connection with our little girl like I do. This is our gift. It is not what saves us from sin, rather, it is our glory.
Embrace your glory, and ladies, with a gentle and quiet spirit, lift up the men around you by letting them take the role that God has given them as we take our role in the splendor that was intended from the very beginning of time. Men, help make this easy on the ladies around you. We are not to be trampled on, but dealt with tenderly with much compassion.
I love you all.
